Wounded Warriors reeling in successNumbers were down, but spirits were high Saturday during the second annual Wounded Warrior Project Bass Tournament at Lake Dardanelle. Arkansas Wildlife Federation (AWF) president Wayne Shewmake would have liked to have seen a few more anglers on the water, but said he considered the tournament a success. “We think it’s gone real well,” he said. “We would have liked to have had the 50 anglers we had hoped for, but people have things happen tha...

Potts Inn hosts 2nd tourneyPOTTSVILLE — The second annual Potts Inn Moonshine golf tournament will tee off June 30 at the Galla Creek Golf Club to help raise money for structural repairs at the historic Potts Inn Museum in downtown Pottsville. Pam Scarber, president of the Pope County History Foundation, said the repairs would cost around $45,000. “We’re having some problems with the seals and the foundation,” she explained. “The foundation is basically rocks stacked up...

California Chrome's Triple Crown quest collapses NEW YORK (AP) — California Chrome failed in his bid to win the first Triple Crown in 36 years on Saturday, losing the Belmont Stakes to 9-1 long shot Tonalist. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner finished in a dead-heat for fourth with Wicked Strong. California Chrome's loss extended the longest drought without a Triple Crown champion. Three tough races in five weeks proved too demanding for California Chrome, who was sent off as the heavy...

Kindrick earns Gatorade Player of YearRussellville Lady Cyclones pitcher Andrea Kindrick is the 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year for softball, it was announced on Thursday. It is Kindrick’s second year running to earn the award, which is selected by Gatorade in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports. Few would argue against her position as top softball player in the state. Russellville head coach Harley Sisson considers it a blessing to have been given the opportunity to ...

Arkansas Tech’s Dawson named Coach of the YearArkansas Tech head coach Dave Dawson was named Coach of the Year, Patrick Castleberry and Randy Vallejo earned All-Arkansas honors, and the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys baseball team was named Team of the Year by Natural State Baseball on Thursday. Dawson earned Coach of the Year honors from Natural State Baseball after being named NCAA Central Region Coach of the Year by the National College Baseball Writers Association as well as Great American...

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ATU Sports InformationThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Local teams gear up for summer workoutsTimes have changed. In the past, when the final bell signaled the end of school for the summer, coaches didn’t usually see their players again until early August, where they began grueling two-a-day workouts in order to catch up and prepare for the upcoming fall schedule. These days, football is played 365 days a year. “If you don’t,” Pottsville head coach Bryan Rust said. “You’re falling behind.” From spring practices, 7-on-7 tournaments to t...

Wounded Warriors to fish Lake DardanelleArkansas Wildlife Federation president Wayne Shewmake said he knew it had to happen again after several veterans thanked him and others involved with the Wounded Warrior Project bass fishing tournament on Lake Dardanelle last year. “The whole thing was very successful,” Shewmake said. “We had numerous people come up and thank us and ask if we would do it again next year. That was one of the reasons we knew we had to.” The Wounded Warrior Proje...

Turner on Capital One academic All-AmericaCLARKSVILLE — University of the Ozarks junior tennis player Todd Turner was named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America Men’s At-Large Third Team, the College of Sports Information Directors of America released Tuesday. Turner, a native of Pearcy, has received Capital One Academic All-District honors two years in row, and now makes his first appearance on the prestigious national team. During the 2014 spring season, he played No. 1 sing...

Dardanelle welcomes two new softball fieldsDARDANELLE — The city of Dardanelle christened a new softball complex at Merritt Park during a ceremony and four games Tuesday across two new fields at the facility. The complex, which Dardanelle constructed through a $250,000 matching grant with the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, saw its first pitch after an invocation by Dardanelle Sports Commission member Jared Higginbotham. “Everything we do through this facility will bring hono...

Jones voted softball coach of the yearPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville Lady Apaches softball team was young. Eight seniors graduated in 2013 and left Lady Apaches head coach Greg Jones with a lot holes to fill. Many didn’t expect much from Pottsville this year — certainly not a share of the 4A-4 Conference championship, a third-place finish in the district and regional tournaments, and definitely not a berth in the Class 4A state tournament. “A lot of people picked us to finish in the ...

Arkansas' Oliver arrested for DWI FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Arkansas pitcher Chris Oliver has been arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated, two days after the Razorbacks were eliminated from the NCAA tournament. Oliver was stopped by Fayetteville police early Tuesday after allegedly making an illegal turn near the university. According to a police report, the right-handed pitcher — who earned the Razorbacks' win against Liberty on Friday — had a blood-alcohol level of 0.09...

Spring practice finishesDOVER — Rainy conditions kept the Dover Pirates football team from holding their annual Black and White scrimmage on Friday, but it didn’t keep them from spring practice. Dover head coach Greg Jones saw enough in practice to feel encouraged about the upcoming season. “I think we had a couple good days,” the second-year head coach said. “We got a late start because our baseball team made it to the second round of the state playoffs and did a re...

Kline named Wonder Boys head coachAfter spending the last three years as the Wonder Boys’ assistant coach, Chad Kline has been named the 22nd head men’s basketball coach of Arkansas Tech University, announced Director of Athletics Steve Mullins in a press conference Monday. “I am pleased and excited to announce that Chad Kline will be the next leader of our men’s basketball program,” Mullins said. “The progress of our program over the past ten years has been remarkable, and it...

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ATU Sports InformationThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Cyclones scrimmage through stormThey’re big. Russellville Cyclones line coach Charlie Goodman believes the Cyclones football team will field one of the largest offensive lines in the state. And judging by their performance on Friday in the annual Red and Black scrimmage at Cyclone Stadium, they will have the skills to back it up. “I feel good about not just their size, but their abilities,” Goodman said. “I think we have a chance to be really good up front. With just 10 days...

Preparing for summer's heatMany of you probably thought that it wasn’t going to happen this year, after all we just completed one of the coldest winters on record and have had a really cool spring, so we are surely not going to have a hot summer this year! Well, welcome to Arkansas, the home of the hottest and most humid summers known to man. Well, maybe not exactly that hot, but summer in Arkansas can leave you longing for one of those nice cool spring days we have jus...

What’s the worst thing that could happen?I was having a conversation with a co-worker the other day about the stupid things that we’ve done and lived to tell about. The story below is always near the top of my list. I wrote this back a few years ago in 2006 but after reading it, thought it might be worth publishing again. It’s funny now, but I can assure you, that day no one was laughing! It was a weekend that both Greg and I had waited on all year, the last weekend of October. For t...

Local stars on ’14 All-Star rostersSeveral athletes from the Arkansas River Valley will compete at the 2014 Arkansas High School Coaches Association (AHSCA) All-Star baseball, softball and soccer games later this month. Seven athletes from Russellville, Hector, Danville and Atkins were selected by their conferences and narrowed down by the coaches of the East and West to represent their schools on June 24-27. Athletes were nominated by their conferences then drafted. Only three...

Local sports briefs (June 1, 2014)Pottsville basketball camp starts June 9 The Pottsville Apaches basketball camp will be held June 9-10. The camp is for students going into grades 3-7. The cost of the camp is $40 and includes instruction, competitions and a t-shirt. The camp will be held at Pottsville Junior High gymnasium for grades 3-5 and at George Jones Gymnasium for grades 6-7. For more information contact Pottsville head basketball coach Shane Thurman. ATU Night with th...

Apaches scrimmage answers questionsPOTTSVILLE — The annual Pottsville Apaches Black and Gold scrimmage Thursday at John Needham Stadium gave fans some answers about the hole left by former four-year starter Micheal Perry. Junior Jake Dugger stepped into the starting quarterback position and did well, Pottsville head coach Bryan Rust said. “He did the job tonight,” Rust said. “It was pretty apparent that it’d be him to step in, so we’ve done our best to prepare him for that. He’...